1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to musical instruments peripheral equipment, and more particularly is a device that is secured to a guitar or other stringed instruments to hold picks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A continual annoyance for a musician, particularly guitar players, is trying to keep a pick readily available. The picks are relatively small, and are thus easily misplaced and lost. To solve this problem, a device is needed that secures the pick in close proximity to the instrument.
The prior art has many references directed to such devices. The most common type is a device that is designed to be attached directly to outer surface of the body of the guitar. Some examples of such devices are the xe2x80x9cPICK HOLDERxe2x80x9d by Jepsen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,892, issued Feb. 6, 1996; the xe2x80x9cHOLDER FOR THIN PLANAR OBJECTSxe2x80x9d by Irizarry, U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,634, issued Jul. 22, 1997; and the xe2x80x9cPICK HOLDER FOR GUITARS AND OTHER STRINGED INSTRUMENTSxe2x80x9d by Longshore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,021, issued Aug. 18, 1998.
Another method of addressing the problem is to attach a pick holding device to a wrist strap. Some examples of patents that embody this solution are the xe2x80x9cRETRACTABLE GUITAR PICK HOLDERxe2x80x9d by Thompson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,020, issued May 9, 1995; the xe2x80x9cPLECTRUM HOLDER AND METHOD FOR USING THE SAMExe2x80x9d by Newman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,837913, issued Nov. 17, 1998; and the xe2x80x9cHOLDER FOR A GUITAR PICKxe2x80x9d by Trees, U.S. Pat. No. D362,264, issued Sep. 12, 1995.
While there are many other devices directed to securing guitar picks, the references cited above are representative of the standard methods of attempting to solve the problem. These prior art devices embody some shortcomings that cannot be overlooked. While many of the devices are too complex or cumbersome to be used conveniently, there are two overriding considerations that leads users to reject the current art devices.
The first is that the pick holder can affect the sound produced by the instrument. Because many of the pick holder devices attach directly to the body of the guitar, the vibration and sounding board characteristics of the guitar body can be affected by the addition of the pick holder. This is clearly unacceptable.
Another major problem is the simple fact that the pick holders are affixed to the guitar body by an adhesive of some sort. For a musician who may have invested several hundred or even thousands of dollars on his instrument, remnants of an adhesive used to secure a device to the guitar body are not at all welcome.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pick holder that can be affixed to a stringed instrument, specifically a guitar, without the use of adhesives.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a means of attaching the pick holder that does not affect the sound produced by the instrument.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a pick holder that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
The present invention is a pick holder that is secured in the strings of a stringed instrument, specifically a guitar. The pick holder comprises an elongated attaching base that is inserted between two of the stings of the instrument. The base of the pick holder is placed between the two strings, and the pick holder is then twisted so that the base is secured between the strings and the upper end of the neck of the guitar, above the first fret. The holder can also be secured at the lower end of the strings if desired.
The main body of the pick holder includes a plurality of tapered pick slots, each adapted to receive a pick. The pick slots are defined between the upper wedge and the lower retaining portions. An upper wedge of the main body provides a securing pressure against the lower retaining portions.
An advantage of the present invention is that the device has a low profile, so that it is not cumbersome when it is in place on the instrument.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the device is secured without the use of any adhesive, thereby preserving the appearance of the instrument.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that it does not affect the sound produced by the instrument.